Don't let it end
by ffrackles
Summary: A three part story about Ian and Wanda - the Human and the Soul. Takes place a few months after the book ends, but Wes never did die. The Seeker never did find them. Ian's POV. Rated M for lemons. Give it a try. Read & Review - it makes me happy.
1. Don't let it end, pt 1

It had been a long day, but even after carrying mattresses, harvesting and playing three rounds of soccer – out of which I won two – I wasn't remotely close to tired. People were starting to head out of the Game Room and into their own rooms, their beds, their own privacy.

The monsoons were finally over, and for the first time for what felt like forever, I could finally close some doors between myself and all the other people. But, unlike the last time we had moved after the rainy season, I wouldn't be sharing a room with my brother.

"You up for another game, bro?" Kyle asked as he tossed the football to me. Since I was watching Wanda, sitting at the side of the room with Mel and Jamie, who had fallen asleep in his sister's lap, I missed the ball and it hit me in the head.

I turned my attention to Kyle, who seemed to laugh at me, and I nodded while taking the ball up from the ground. Yeah, another game sounded good. I was stalling after all, wasn't I? And since Kyle offered...

It was stupid to stall, I knew that. But I didn't know what else _to_ do.

I had never truly been alone with Wanda before, and after tonight, we would be alone together a lot. It's not like I didn't want it, because I did. I loved her. I just didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to expect, what she expected. I knew absolutely _nothing_. All I knew was that I shouldn't be this damn clueless.

I shook the thoughts away and concentrated on the ball in my hands. I did know how to play soccer, and I knew how my brother worked. I knew it wouldn't be an easy match, but it would take the time I needed. Maybe I would actually be tired afterward.

At half time, I was winning by one goal, but Kyle was still confident he would win this. Things could go either way, I'd say. Wanda handed me a water bottle with worry in her eyes, and I chuckled.

"I'm fine," I chuckled, knowing why she was worried. When Kyle and I played one-on-one, it got rough. It wasn't just a tackle here and there, it was full body tackles that left you on the ground. I was used to it. It's just the way we worked. But Wanda had never actually seen us play against each other, just me and him, so I understood her worry.

"They're boys," Mel laughed it off, but Wanda didn't look so sure. Kyle yelled at me the same second to come over and continue with the game, and I tossed the rest of the water to Wanda before I leaned down and placed a kiss on my girl's cheek.

"Don't worry so much," I whispered before I grinned and jogged over to Kyle again. He actually ended up winning with three goals, but it was close up until the end. He promised me a rematch tomorrow night, but I turned it down. He could have this one.

Also because my shoulder was starting to hurt after all of those tackles.

"You look tired, Ian," Mel stated and I told her it was fine. She smiled smugly then, as if I had missed something. As if she knew something I didn't know.

I saw that Jared lifted Jamie up into his arms, telling Mel that he was heading to their room right after leaving Jamie in his. Mel nodded and looked at Wanda. They said their goodnights, and then suddenly it was just me and Wanda. Alone. Everyone was asleep, or on their way to their rooms to get to it.

"How's that foot of yours?" I asked as I reached my hand out, and Wanda took it without hesitation. In our second game of the night, Wanda had been tackled – not bad but enough for her to stumble on her own feet. She ended up with what was probably a sprained ankle, and she refused to take the No Pain Doc was so willing to give her.

"It's fine," she lied and I shook my head in amusement. Wouldn't she ever learn?

She was about to start walking when I lifted her up, and in a swift movement I had her cradled in my arms. She was about to object, but then realized that it would probably hurt to walk. Instead she rested her tiny head against my shoulder, and I could hear her breathe out in a sigh. She sounded happy. Content. Relaxed.

None of us spoke until I reached the corridor that led to most of the rooms, ours included. I knew why I wasn't talking, and I guessed that she was thinking about something as well. I just didn't know what.

But now all those thoughts I had tried to push away all day was there. It was impossible to not think about it as I felt her body against mine like this.

People would joke that Wanda and I were attached by the hip, as we were always touching. We were always making sure the other was close enough to see. And I guess that was right. Thinking about the times I had left her alone, and what had happened, was it really that strange that I wanted to make sure she was alright, safe, all the time?I knew everyone here liked her – especially since she wasn't in Mel's body anymore – but something could still happen. And I was scared to loose her.

But yes, after that first _real_ kiss the night the rains started, we had been attached by the hips. And I liked it. Loved it even. Mostly the small stuff. Like her hand could out of nowhere end up resting on my knee during dinner, or how her fingers would play with my hair right before falling asleep. It was like she was unaware of these things, which only made them more special to me since I was very much aware of them. And the tingling, warm, loving feeling they left me with.

I had spent nineteen years never truly wanting to rely on another person. I was content with my family, even with Kyle. Jodi became like a sister – extended family. Then the world as I knew it was over, and I spent nearly five years trying to survive. Nothing else. Then Wanda walked into my life, and I realized that for the first time in my life, I was in love. I had had crushes, of course, and things I would call lust. But never love. Not like this. Being completely willing to give _everything_ to someone, no matter what it would cost me. Wanda changed my life, she changed me. All for the better.

But not even during a month long raid had we managed to get more then ten minutes alone together. This lead us to nothing more than stealing kisses with each other when no one was around, kisses that we were sure wouldn't lead to anything.

When Wanda was in Mel's body, and I first realized I was actually in love with her, I made a promise to myself. I had to respect Mel, and her wishes, so I wouldn't try anything. I would settle with being in love, pretending that it was nothing more than friendship. Wanda didn't need my troubles. And besides, why would she even care for me the way I cared for her?

Then things changed. She told me she loved me too, and then she had her own body. I still promised myself I wouldn't rush her. I would just have to control myself. And after she was inserted in Pet's body, it took a while before we even kissed again. That first night of the rains.

Now we would be alone for the first time. _Truly_ alone. No other people sleeping just inches away from us, no double minds, no nothing. It was just me and her.

But I had to know something.

"Can I ask you something?" I wondered when I rounded the corner, my voice whispered not to wake anyone up.

"Anything," she murmured back in a soft voice, and I braced myself. I didn't know how to ask the question. I settled for just _asking_.

"How old are you?"

I needed to know. I wasn't sure if she had lied or not when she said she would turn eighteen. Her body looked so young, merely fifteen, but I wanted to believe her. And some people looked younger than they were.

"Thousands of years," she whispered back, her voice hesitant. She knew that's not what I wanted to know, and that's when I knew that she had lied that time in the Game Room. She wasn't eighteen. Well, her _body_ wasn't eighteen.

"No, not..." I let out a sigh, rephrasing myself. "Your body. How old is your body?"

She was quiet until I reached our room, and I stopped in my tracks right there.

"Seventeen," she whispered, almost scared. Like she really didn't want me to know. I nodded to myself, hearing the truth in her voice, and I carefully put her down on the floor. I lifted the red door out of the way, and motioned for her to walk in first. She stepped carefully into the room, as if making sure I was really coming with her. I took half a step in her direction, but then stopped myself.

"I'm just gonna go get you some No Pain after all, okay?"

I turned around before I could see her face, knowing that our room was lit up by the moon. It happened once in a while, and tonight was one of those nights.

I hurried down the corridor, not letting myself think before I couldn't feel Wanda's eyes on my back anymore. I slowed down until I stopped, and stood there for a second. Just taking it in.

"Shit," I heard myself mumble under my breath. _Shit_.

Seventeen, really? I could feel all of my hopes and nerves about tonight running out of me. I didn't have to worry about that now, right? Seventeen. Technically, Wanda's body was underage, even though she herself was much, much older than me. But her body was underage, and I felt like if I took things further before she turned eighteen, I would take advantage of her. Of course she wouldn't see it like that, she would do anything to please me. Which only made me feel like I took even more advantage of her. And I didn't like that.

Grabbing a bottle of No Pain once I reached the Hospital Wing, I turned around, realizing I shouldn't be stalling any more. Maybe she wasn't even in the same mind as I was. Maybe she wasn't even thinking about going there with me. I wouldn't know, right?

I groaned to myself, knowing that I did actually know. The way she kissed me, the way she looked at me, the way she touched me. She had clearly been thinking about it.

My eyes wandered across the room, wondering if I could hide in here for a few months, and pretend like everything was okay. I let out another groan, knowing it was impossible. My eyes stopped on the cot standing in the middle of the room, and I shifted my weight from one foot to the other.

I remembered how just a few months ago, I had been sitting next to that cot, waiting patiently for Wanda to wake up. I knew then already that I loved her, and that her body really didn't matter. I loved Wanda, the soul _inside_ the body. Nothing else mattered. She looked young, yes, but I had promised myself right then and there that no matter her age, it didn't matter. It was just her body. Sure, it was a significant part of her, but it wasn't who she was. She was this wonderful, kind, amazing person. And her body wouldn't change that. It wouldn't change the way I felt about her.

I promised myself that I wouldn't rush her, wouldn't push her. I would let her explore her body on her own, and when she was ready, so would I be. I didn't care if she was ready that night, or years ahead. I would wait for her. Because I loved her.

And now, staring at that cot, I realized that I had broken that promise. I realized that most of my thoughts came from my nerves. My insecurities.

I knew that if this wasn't Wanda, if this was a normal world, I wouldn't have even thought about taking things further. I wouldn't have started a relationship in the first place. But this wasn't a normal world, and it was Wanda. And I was very much in love with her. Body _and_ soul.

"I can do this," I said to myself as I started to walk again. The walk turned into a soft jog, and I reached the right hallway in a matter of minutes.

_Pull yourself together, Ian, _I told myself as I started walking again, reaching our room. The red door was in the same place that I had left it, and I realized that Wanda probably had troubles with closing it. Only one foot and all. I shook my head, placed the bottle in my pocket and shut the door behind me. Clouds were hiding the moon, and the room was just as dark as it usually was. I could barely see my hand before me, but I knew this room all to well. I knew where I had placed the mattresses. I knew that they would be linked together, over by the wall right in front of me. I counted the steps I took, and calculated that after about five of them, I would be able to sit down right next to the mattresses on the floor. And I did. I leaned against the wall and took a deep breath when I heard Wanda stir on her mattress. She sat up beside me, but she didn't say anything. Just as I was about to talk, the moon showed itself again and stirred some light into the room. I could see her face then, and knew without even thinking about it that she had been crying.

Perfect. I made her cry. I mentally slapped myself and grabbed her hand, and squeezed it. Trying to let her know that it was all okay, without actually saying anything. But I had to say something, and after she squeezed my hand back, I settled for what I had planned on asking.

"Why did you lie?" My voice was quiet, and I wondered for a second if she had even heard me. Then she let out a sigh, and I knew that she had.

"Because you're honorable, Ian."

And that's when I knew for sure that she definitely had been thinking about this as much as I had. I smiled a little at the thought, but quickly composed myself. Just because she had been thinking about it – us – didn't mean that she was ready. And if she was, but her body wasn't? Yeah, sure, I had sex when I was seventeen. That didn't mean that everyone was ready at seventeen. I knew a lot had sex at thirteen, fourteen, and the age kept going down. But I didn't want to rush things.

And I couldn't imagine this body – this beautiful, small, delicate body – in that way. I don't know if it was because it had belonged to a soul for so long, or because it looked so young, or maybe because I didn't want to think about it. I knew Wanda. I knew I would be her first, her only. That also included wanting to be her body's first. Her body's only.

"How..." I started, trailing off. Ugh, how should I put it? Wanda didn't mind waiting patiently as I tried to figure it out, and she let me think in silence until I had found a way. "How familiar are you with the way humans procreate?"

I grimaced at how bad it sounded, and I knew I could have put it in a more delicate way. In a better way. I made it sound like she didn't know a thing about humans, even though she knew a lot of things.

"Enough to know that it's complicated," she murmured and I nodded to myself. _Complicated_. The word definitely did suit our situation. But it was a lot more than that. It was easy, and fun, and... complicated. Before I could say something, she continued. "I understand if you don't want me, Ian. There's... I can wait, you know. Until this body is eighteen, I mean."

I chuckled once to myself before I grabbed her face and pressed my lips against hers gently. Once, twice, thrice. She kissed me back, and I smiled softly as I felt her to the same.

"Age is not the problem, Wanda. You're a lot older than me, remember?"

"Then what is?" she wanted to know, and she pulled our hands toward her body. I knew what she wanted, so I scooped up beside her on the mattress, and wrapped my arms around her. She knew I wasn't mad about her lying about her age. She had probably been scared that I had been though. Probably why she had cried, even. Maybe she had thought that I didn't want her, but I did. Badly. I just... I couldn't afford to rush this.

"I love you Wanda, I truly do. And trust me, I want you. In every sense of the word. But I need to know that you're sure. I need to know that you're ready. You _and_ your body. I can't afford to rush this, I can't afford you possibly regretting things. That's the last thing I want."

"I love you too, Ian," she smiled as she leaned into my side. She lifted her gaze, and I could make out a shadow of the silver in her eyes. She was so beautiful. Right now, always. "And I'm ready. I think. Pet wasn't experienced, but I know enough from Mel, and I know that it's a big step. But I want to take that step with you. I trust you, like no one else."

She confirmed what I had already guessed. Her body was inexperienced. It would hurt. _I_ would hurt her.

"I don't want to hurt you," I whispered and I saw the confusion in her eyes. _Why would you hurt me? _The question was so clearly written in her eyes, and I wondered for a second exactly how much she did know. It was pretty obvious that Mel had never let her take part of those memories, and a part of me was glad. Still though, how much did she really know? I knew I would only make her uncomfortable by asking, so I didn't.

"Trust me, the first time hurts," I said, stroking a strand of her hair away from her face, wishing there was some way for it not to hurt. But I knew there wasn't. I knew it was different for everyone though. Some women barely felt it, while some couldn't even go through with it.

I watched Wanda as she thought it through, and after a minute her eyes returned to mine.

"I don't care," she shook her head, and I heard nothing but the truth. "I want this. I want _you_."

Cupping her small face in my right hand, I looked into her eyes for a long time. Searching. I didn't know what I was searching for, and eventually I stopped and settled for just looking into those beautiful, silver eyes.

"You're sure about this?" I wondered, and she nodded slowly. I leaned down just a little bit, to close the distance between our faces, and I stopped when our noses touched. I had one more thing I had to ask her. "You're sure about now?"

"As sure as I could ever be," she murmured, her eyes never leaving mine. I swallowed, reminding myself to breathe, before I closed the distance between our lips and her mouth welcomed mine with a smile. Capturing her lower lip, I sucked on it gently and I had every intention on darting my tongue into her mouth. That is until I could feel her teeth taking a nibble on my upper lip, and I let out a growl of pleasure before my body froze.

_Shit_.

"Ian?" Wanda stammered besides me, fearing that she had done something wrong. I jumped up on my feet in a swift movement, and looked at her.

"I'll be back soon, okay?" I stated and I could see confusion written all over her face. I didn't have time to explain this, so instead I leaned down and pressed a quick kiss on her mouth, to reassure her that everything was still fine, before I moved the red door and ran down the hallways again. This time in another direction. This time to the storage room. I rummaged through it until I found what I wanted, and then stared at the box of condoms.

That's when I started to panic. We were really going through with this. I hadn't... Six damn years. That's how long it had been. It wasn't like sex had been the first thought down here, and besides, sex meant something to me. At least now it did. I wasn't a teenager anymore, and I knew the difference between lust and love now. I knew that I wanted it to be special, and with Wanda it would be more than that. But shit, _six_ _years_. Did I even remember how to do it right? Would she like it?

I slapped myself then, telling myself not to think about this. I could do this.

"I can do this," I said to myself.

"Who the hell are you talking to?" I heard Jared's voice and I quickly placed the box in my pocket and pretended like nothing.

"No one," I muttered, about to get out of his way.

"Hey, wait up," he told me and I turned around to see him crawl inside the small area. "We're probably going the same direction anyway."

I tried to focus on my breathings as I heard him looking for something. It was probably there somewhere. We had gotten back from a raid only two weeks ago, and we wouldn't have to go back on one in a long time. But could he just hurry up and find it?

"What are you looking for?" I asked, impatient. That's when it hit me. He wasn't the only one getting some time alone with his girlfriend for the first time in a while. Of course he was looking for condoms. I wasn't alone in that. I had found Andy with a box yesterday, preparing, and since I could only find one box in there, and we took at least ten on the last raid, more people had prepared. I think I actually saw Wes' with two boxes.

Jared came out a second later, a disappointed look on his face.

"We have to raid again," he said and muttered something that sounded like 'horny bastards' under his breath. I laughed and took out the box in my pocket. It held two– someone had clearly opened it - and I tossed one to him. He caught it, looked at it and then at me. He started laughing then, and I rolled my eyes.

"So that's why you look so nervous, man," he said as he walked up to my side, and we headed back to our separate rooms. "How long has it been?"

I tried to ignore him, but he kept talking.

"You've been here for four years, right?"

"Five," I muttered under my breath, and he exhaled.

"And I thought the monsoon was bad," he shook his head in amusement, and I glared at him.

"Can we just not talk about this?" I asked. It was only making me even more nervous, and I would just like to forget the whole thing. I was sure that I wouldn't actually feel the same way if I had gotten some action lately. It's not like I would talk about it openly, but I would at least be able to joke about it. I wasn't now.

But I tried to tell myself that Wanda told Mel everything, and Mel told Jared everything. So he would probably know that I would have sex tonight, either way. Well, at least that's what I told myself to make myself feel a little better about the situation.

We walked in silence the rest of the way, and he didn't say anything until we reach our hallway.

"Good luck then," he grinned as I stopped outside my room.

"Yeah, you too," I shook my head in amusement against my will, and he laughed. "And Jared, don't tell my brother about this, okay?" He would never let me forget it. Not that I ever wanted to, but I didn't want him to remind me.

"Sure thing," he answered before he ducked into his room and I grabbed the door, removed it and then placed it in its right spot again. I took a deep breath before I turned around and looked at Wanda. She had flopped down on her side, but she wasn't asleep. She looked calm, but as I got closer I could feel the heat from her cheeks. She was blushing.

I smiled to myself as she made room, and I pressed my body against hers, my lips searching for their partner in the darkness. I could feel that she wanted to know what I had been doing, why I had left, but as our lips met she relaxed and she seemed to forget it.

Her tongue welcomed mine as I let my hands slide over her side. From her face, to her shoulder, to her ribs, to her hip. My hand found the heat of her skin, and as my hand moved up again, it brought her shirt with it. I rolled us over then, so that I could easily get it off her, and she didn't seem to protest when my body shifted above hers. I tore our lips apart when I pulled her shirt over her head, and my hands quickly grabbed the hem of the top she was wearing underneath. When that was out of the way, I could feel the heat radiating from her cheeks again. She was blushing, harder this time, but she didn't show any sign of being uncomfortable. I realized then that she had probably never been wearing this little in front of a man before, and that made me smile. The fact that she wasn't trying to cover her chest with anything showed that she really did trust me, and I grinned against her skin as I placed feathery light kisses over it. No matter how much I wanted it, I wouldn't take her bra off just yet. I wanted her to get used to this first, and to even things out I dragged my t-shirt over my head. Goosebumps rose on my arms as her hands traced over my now bare chest, and I could sense her smile in the darkness.

I wasn't nervous anymore, and I was glad that I wasn't. Her being nervous was enough. Because she was. I could feel it in her touches, I could see it in her eyes. I had to be confident now, lead the way. Focus on her, showing her the good before the bad would come. Because her being in pain was bad, and me causing it was even worse. But I shook those thoughts away and focused on her again. Her tongue snaked its way into my mouth, and I groaned as it danced around with mine. Exploring. Just as my hands. I forced myself to move slowly, even though my hands told my brain they wanted to be everywhere, all at once. But that was impossible, and I let them guide themselves over her body one inch at a time. When she broke the kiss to breathe, I let my mouth to the same. I could hear a soft moan escape her lips as my tongue brushed one of her collarbones, and I smiled against her skin. I had probably never heard anything so sexy in my life, and my already hardening member grew even harder. I wasn't sure how much of that she wanted to feel, so I shifted my weight above her but she only pressed my closer again, and another groan left my lips.

As my mouth found her stomach, I realized something. I didn't exactly mean to be thinking about it, but I was. And who could blame me, really?

I moved my head to hers again, and kissed her softly before I leaned out and looked at her.

"I have to ask you something," I murmured and she slowly fluttered her eyes open.

"Can't it wait?" she wondered, a little out of breath. I was too, but I could hide it better then she could.

"Actually no."

"What do you want to know?" she wondered, smiling softly.

Since I wasn't nervous anymore, the words found my lips without me even trying.

"Did Pet ever take manners into her own hands?"

She was confused again, and I tried to explain the best I could.

"You know, did she ever play with herself?"

"What do you mean, Ian?" she whispered, probably wondering why I wanted to know. I laughed at how clueless she was, and at how utterly adorable I found it.

"Did she ever touch herself, down there?" I asked, emphasizing the last two words.

"Oh," she finally understood, and the blood rushed to her cheeks again. Her words were rushed and I had to listen closely to hear them. "I can't remember a time when she ever did."

"Wow," I breathed, realizing that she wasn't only a virgin. She had never actually reached an orgasm. Holy cow. I barely had the time to think about it before Wanda talked, her voice worried.

"Is that bad?"

"No," I rushed to assure her. Of course it wasn't. It would just have made things easier, maybe. I wanted Wanda to have that experience, even if it was only in a memory, because I was pretty sure it wouldn't come to that tonight. And I was okay with that, still trying to figure out not to hurt her. I didn't want to scare her off, I wanted her to know that once we passed the pain, something great would come out of it. And orgasming, especially with a partner, was something great. Or actually, everything that led to the orgasm was something great. The orgasm itself was more like the icing on the cake. Nothing could ever reach up to that level when it came to intimacy, and I wanted Wanda to experience that.

So I thought of an idea.

"Do you trust me?" I asked, and she nodded as she stared into my eyes. I already knew the answer, but I just wanted to hear it. "Just tell me if you're not comfortable, or if you want me to stop, or _anything_."

"I promise," she whispered, and I nodded before I started to unbuckle her jeans. I sat up so that I could pull them off, and I stared into her eyes the entire time as my fingers found their way to the edge of her panties. Asking for permission to do something. She nodded, even though she looked clueless to what I was about to do. I kept my eyes on hers as my hands gently removed the fabric, forcing myself not to watch, no matter how much I wanted it.

_Make her comfortable, _it was my biggest concern right now. But her eyes were steady as I parted her legs, making way for me, and I smiled to let her know even more that it was really okay. She could trust me. She was clearly wondering what I was doing, and as I lowered my head to do something I hadn't done in years, she voiced the question.

"Ian, what are you..." she started but fell in silence when my mouth found her south parts. "Oh, god."

I smiled, feeling her relax under me, and because of how wet she was. Even though Pet had definitely not even fantasied, Wanda being inside the body made it more than ready. Maybe she had been thinking about this a lot more than I thought. Maybe she had been ready for a long time.

The sounds that escaped her mouth made me even harder, but after about ten minutes of my tongue exploring, I started to worry. Was it me, was I impatient? Or was it Wanda? I knew it was none of my options. I knew it usually didn't take this long, and Wanda was more than willing.

_Maybe it takes longer because she's holding back, scared, or maybe it's just hard for his body to receive an orgasm, _my mind wandered but I shook my thoughts away and focused on trying to get her to climax. _Maybe I haven't found her special spot just yet._

When I captured her throbbing clitoris in my mouth though for a second time, sucking on it gently, something happened. Her breath hitched, and her body froze.

_Now we're talking._

Only a second later she moved again, her hands searching for something, anything, to grab. She settled for the edge of the mattress, and then she let out the sexiest sound I had ever heard. It was nothing more than a whimper, she sounded exhausted, but right afterward her mouth formed my name in a whispered moan, full of pleasure.

Realizing that I had actually made her orgasm, her first ever, destroyed my attempts of trying to control myself and I grunted as I ejaculated. Catching my breath as I heard her do the same, I licked up her juices, thinking that I had never tasted something so glorious before.

My mouth searched its way up to her face again, and I hesitated before I pressed my lips against hers. I remembered that my ex never did like to taste herself, but Wanda didn't seem to care and pressed her lips against mine.

"Good or bad?" I asked after a few seconds of kissing, leaning out so that she could fully find her normal breath again. Her heart was beating hard against her rib cage, and I smiled when I felt it.

"Good," she panted. "_Very_ good. I didn't realize that there could be more than just, y'know."

"Humans are complicated," I offered, and she chuckled. She had mentioned once how they reproduced on other planets, and I had to agree that yeah, we were complicated. We didn't do it merely for the cause of reproducing; we did it for intimacy, to feel close to one another, for fun. Because we loved each other.

"Complicated," she agreed against my lips with a smile. Before I had the chance to kiss her, she talked again. "If you can do _that_ with your mouth, what other body parts can you use?"

She blushed as she asked, and even though I chuckled softly I took the question seriously. She wanted to know, and I wanted to teach her everything I could. I was the teacher for once.

I leaned out, my hands moving from her thighs to her sides. I lifted her up a little bit, my left hand holding her in the air as my right moved to the clasp of her bra. She should be comfortable enough for that now, and it was a part of my lesson. She started laughing when I didn't manage to unclasp the damn thing in my first three times, and I buried my head in the crook of her neck, a little ashamed.

"Sorry," I laughed with her, unable not to. Maybe I was nervous after all. She grabbed my face and lifted it so that she could meet my eyes.

"Want some help with that?" she mused, and I didn't fight the groan that tried to escape my lips. I knew she didn't want that to sound sexy, but that only made it sexier. She laughed again and she arched her back, my body moving with hers, and she flopped down again once the clasp was open. I captured her lips with mine, but she only let me kiss her for a few short moments.

"You didn't answer my question," she reminded me, and I grinned against her lips. No, I guess I didn't.

As I tossed her bra aside, I thought that this was very unfair. My jeans kept me from being completely naked with her, but none of us seemed to care right now.

"Well, there's the mouth," I murmured as my lips found her round breasts, taking one of her erect nipples in my mouth to suck on gently.

"Tongue, teeth," I continued, gently taking a nibble and I heard a soft moan from her. My lips found their way back to her face, stopping at her jaw, sucking on the skin on the side of her throat.

"Hands, fingers," I whispered against her skin, my right hand guiding itself downwards until I was able to push two fingers inside of her. I could feel exactly how tight she was, and I wiped the worry off my face before I captured her lips with mine again. My right hand moved to her breast, groping it, to make another point.

"And me? What can I use to make you feel like that?"

"Mouth, tongue, teeth, hands, fingers," I murmured, not having the time to add anything before she stopped me in my tracks.

"Show me how."

I placed both hands the mattress beside her, popping up so that I could see her properly. Did she just say what I thought she said? I hadn't planned on taking things further than sex, but I figured that this was all a part of it.

Her eyes told me that she was very much serious, and I took a deep breath.

God, how was I supposed to show her this? I asked myself as I took her hands in mine, and looked at them. I imagined those small, delicate, pure hands touching me in that way, and I started to grow hard again. Knowing that I really did want this, I kissed her while leading her hands to unbuckle my jeans. I knew that she had already noticed that they were soaking wet, so she didn't ask me about it, knowing why they were that way. I held my body up with the help of my left arm and elbow as my right hand tangled with hers. Her free hand tangled with my hair, and I moaned into her mouth when I felt our hands under the fabric of my underwear. I waited for a few seconds, letting her get used to the idea, before leading her to my growing member. I showed her how to do it right, leading her to a good pace, and when she thought she knew it she waved my hand away. I groaned again, growing harder than I thought possible underneath her touch. But my jeans were in the way, and I wanted to let it all free, so I moved her hand against my will and kissed her harder to show that she had done nothing wrong. She had done everything right, and I wanted more, but I was about to ejaculate two times in a matter of minutes, and no matter how good if felt, I wasn't sure how much I could handle. It had been too long, I didn't trust my body anymore. I had grown to forget how I worked with a partner, how much I could handle.

I reluctantly broke our kiss, only to sit up on my knees, and then stand up completely. She didn't look worried this time, and I quickly took out the box of condoms. I held one with my teeth as I tossed the box on the floor, and pulled the rest of my clothes off. Tossing it in the laundry pile, I looked at her. Asking her yet again if she was sure. She nodded, and I took a deep breath. It was time.

I don't know how it happened, but only few moments after I laid down again, her legs were parted, and her eyes asked me what the hell I was waiting for. The condom was already on, so I guess I was stalling again. My hand underneath her ass moved her a little bit so that I would be able to position myself a little bit better. I made sure she was relaxed enough before slowly starting to move my hips toward her, slowly entering her. Because of how tight she was, I wasn't surprised when a small hiss left her lips but she was fast to reassure me.

"We can do this," she murmured, and I heard that she truly believed it herself. And so I started to move again, stopping when I had entered her completely, letting her get used to the feeling. Get used to me. Us. Like this. Through our lips touching, she relaxed more and more and I started to move again. In and out. I focused on her, and not what we were doing. I had to control myself, make sure I wouldn't end this before she had felt some kind of pleasure out of it. Because I could feel that it was coming. With every thrust, she relaxed more and more, her hips eventually started to move with mine. When she gently bit into my lower lip, I couldn't take it anymore and I grunted her name as I released for a second time tonight. I came down panting, feeling like I should have done something more. I didn't feel like I had taken advantage of her, but it felt wrong to get so much pleasure out of something that had hurt her. But she wiped all of those feelings away by pressing her lips against mine gently, whispering 'thank you'.

I rolled off her, throwing the condom somewhere on the floor for now, before I grabbed the blanket by our feet and pulled it over us. Wanda turned to her side, and I moved closer to her, wrapping my arm around her waist, letting her use my other arm as a pillow. Her legs tangled with mine as she pressed her back against my chest, and I heard her let out a sigh. Tired, happy, content.

"Sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a long day."

"I love you, Ian," she whispered, and I smiled into her blonde locks.

"I love you too, my Wanderer. I truly do."


	2. Don't let it end, pt 2

**I would very much like to thank you guys for the reviews on the last chapter, and let you know that while writing this chapter, I got an idea and one more chapter will be uploaded within the next couple of weeks. **

**I hope you will like it, and please, let me know what you think :)**

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><p>I woke up when there was a soft knock on one of the doors, but I ignored it and tried to fall asleep again.<p>

"Ian," I heard my brother's voice from the other side of the door and I groaned. "You awake?"

"Go away," I mumbled, loud enough for him to hear, but low enough not to wake Wanda.

I didn't have to open my eyes to know that she probably had a small smile on her lips. She usually had that when she slept.

I had sprawled, like I always did, and I was now on my back. Wanda had her small head on my chest, our arms wrapped around each other. Both of her legs were tangled with one of mine, and I could feel hear even breaths as she slept. None of us were light sleepers, and I knew that Kyle's knocks only woke me up because I was on my way toward consciousness anyway.

The inside of my eyelids had a warm, red color so I knew it was bright in the room. We had probably overslept, but I didn't care.

"I'm coming in," he warned and as I heard him move the door I forced my eyes open to make sure that both Wanda and I were covered underneath the blanket. She was so much smaller than me, and she was fully covered if you didn't count her shoulders and legs, but I wasn't. The blanket covered enough of me to not show any private parts, but that was pretty much it. And I didn't care. As long as Wanda was covered.

Besides, my brother wouldn't see enough to know that both of us were completely naked underneath.

"Can't you just let me sleep for five more minutes?" I wondered, breathing Wanda in, ignoring my brother as best as I could.

"Can you open your damn eyes and look at me?" he demanded, and I did as I was told. There was something in his voice, and when I looked at him I saw it on his face as well. Worry.

What the hell was going on?

"What's going on?" I fought the urge to sit up, knowing it would unveil Wanda.

"Get dressed, and I'll explain everything," he rushed me, not noticing all of our clothes on the floor. At least not looking enough to see. What the hell was going on? I knew my brother, and he should have made some kind of remark already.

Something was terribly wrong.

"You go out, I'll get dressed, you'll explain everything while we move."

"Oh come on, it's not like you're naked under there. Just get dressed."

I looked at him, and he looked back. Waiting. I didn't say anything, waiting for him to understand. Waiting for him to get the hell out of my room.

Seeing that I was serious, he looked around the room and I could literally hear the click as he understood.

"Oh, _oh_," he breathed, looking from me to the clothes, to me, to Wanda and then to me again. I saw the ghost of a smirk, and knew that he would never let me live it down as soon as whatever was going on was over. "You have thirty seconds."

He turned around, closed the door behind him, and I tried to wiggle myself out of Wanda's embrace without waking her. As quietly and quickly as I could, I hid the used condom in the box, throwing it toward the laundry pile. That way I would remember to throw it out. I found clothes quickly, not really owning anything other than two pair of boxers, one pair of jeans, a pair of shorts and some shirts. Pulling the clean clothes on, I grabbed my t-shirt from yesterday and threw it over my head as I lifted the door off, and met my brother.

"You lucky bastard," he laughed, trying to nudge me but I leaned away. "Was it good?"

"Kyle," I glared at him. "What the hell is going on?"

The smirk left his lips as we started to walk, and Jared came out of his room as we walked past it.

"Are we ready to go?" he asked,and Kyle nodded.

"Ready to go where?" I demanded, and Jared looked at me.

"You haven't told him?"

"I was going to, but it's not like he was fully dressed in there," Kyle explained and I hit him in the back of his head. Could someone just explain to me what the hell was going on, without mentioning my sex life?

"Looks like I didn't have to tell him," Jared laughed my way and I glared at him as well.

"Yes, I had sex. Now forget it, and tell me what's going on," I was frustrated. I had never been a morning person when someone woke me up, and that someone being my brother only made it worse.

Kyle and Jared shared a glance, before Kyle started to talk.

"Andy saw something about an hour ago, and I went up there to check it out. It's the Seeker, the one in black. We're going out there to kill it, and we need as many as we can."

Shit. We all thought the Seeker had given up. We hadn't seen anything in months, and frankly, a few thought that she had died in the heat of the desert while looking for Wanda. Apparently not.

I nodded, listening to Jared as he continued. He had a plan, of course he had. Kyle grabbed the rifle from Jeb when we reached the exit of the caves. There was ten of us, including Mel and Jamie. I figured that Mel was only there to make sure Jamie wouldn't go, because he clearly wanted to. She held him back as Jared pressed a kiss against Mel's forehead and she whispered something that he answered with a nod. Wes handed me a crowbar, and I shook my head in amusement as I took it from him. We all knew the only thing that would work was that rifle.

I wasn't comfortable with killing a living thing, but at the same time I knew it was necessary. Wanda was still terrified of that Seeker, even in her new body. Made her feel even more insecure. Mel was stronger, more willing to hurt, and even though I knew Wanda hated violence, she probably would have felt safer in Mel's body on a day like this. Which is why I didn't want her to know about this.

She would eventually find out about it, but hopefully by the time the Seeker was dead. Then I looked at Jeb, realizing that we wouldn't kill her. No, we would take her to Doc, and he would remove her. After Wanda showing how to take a Soul out without killing it, or the body it was in, and Mel waking up successfully, it gave us hope. There might be some life inside that body that wanted out.

"Let's do this," Brandt took a better hold of his crowbar, as Jared took the machete. He nodded toward us, and that was it. Our cue.

I made sure I walked after both Jared and Kyle the entire way, knowing Kyle would find some kind of way to bring last night up, and somehow manage to make me want to forget the whole thing.

That's my brother in a nutshell.

I walked with Wes and Andy, and Brandt along with Aaron walked right after us. Jeb was in the runner up with Kyle and Jared, and so was Geoffrey.

We had to walk for about an hour before we reached her, and the way she was dressed, it was strange that she hadn't passed out from the heat. Even this early, I was already sweating. We all were.

"Humans," she spit, and I felt my grip around the crowbar grow stronger. Kyle had already made sure that the rifle were loaded and ready to use, and I didn't like it. No matter how much I hated the Soul inside the body in front of us, I didn't want Kyle to take a life any more than he wanted me to take one. It would probably have been better if Jeb had the rifle, but Kyle had insisted. Over the months we had spent in the game room, the months I had spent with Wanda, Kyle saw her somewhat as a friend. Someone good enough for me. Besides, Wanda belonged with us, and any threat of her was a threat to all of us. And I knew Kyle couldn't have that. As everyone else stopped, I kept walking until I reached my brother's side, hoping I could somehow prevent him from doing something stupid.

"I know she's with you, you know. Wanderer. Or should I say – ugh, what's that filthy human name again? Melinda?" Jared took a step forward, but I stopped him. I didn't want him to do something stupid either. "See, proof right there. You're probably that man she kept dreaming about – then where's the kid?"

I tried not to listen to a single word coming out of its mouth, and from the way Jared clenched his jaw, he did the same thing. He knew he couldn't let it get to him. Not like this.

Everything happened very fast then.

Apparently Kyle had had enough, and fired the rifle. He shot at the ground next to the Seeker, and she barely even jumped at the sound. She grabbed her Glock, and aimed. I heard a deafening sound, and then screaming. I didn't have the time to see who she hit before she talked.

"This time I'll shoot to kill," she said slowly, her voice full of hatred. And she wasn't just aiming anymore. The gun was pointing directly at someone. At that someone was my brother.

No matter how much I hated the man from time to time, he had done too much for me, and I couldn't live without him. He had saved my life countless of times, I figured it was time to save his.

I had already pushed him out of the way and taken his place when the Seeker fired the gun, and time passed in slow motion. I could see the bullet come toward me, and how it somehow changed its path. I knew it would hit me in my stomach, and I knew it would hurt. I had the time to think, _why is it moving so slowly? _But at the very same time, I knew that it wasn't. I knew that no matter how hard I tried, I would never get out of its way in time.

As the bullet hit me, I heard another shot ring through the desert, and I wondered why I couldn't feel the pain. I was falling, that much I knew for sure, but everything else was a blur. It wasn't until I was sure that I had hit the ground that the pain came, and it was worse than anything else I had ever felt.

I heard the voices around me, but I could only really make out Kyle's.

"Are you fucking out of your mind!"

"No one's allowed to kill you but me," I tried to laugh, but it hurt too much and I settled with a forced smile as I tried to ignore the pain.

"And you're not allowed to take a bullet for me," he argued, and I felt several pair of arms lifting me up. I heard someone say 'it's bad' but I couldn't make out who it was. Another voice said we had to hurry.

Every time my eyes fluttered close, Jared reminded me to stay awake and I pushed them open again. I was so tired though. So cold. And I knew it was wrong, because the desert was hot. And I had slept. But all I wanted to do was to close my eyes, just for a second.

"O'Shea, don't you dare fall asleep on us," I heard Jared's warning voice and I pushed my eyes open again.

"Hey, Kyle?" I asked, thinking of ways to lighten up the mood. "Remember when you dislocated your shoulder, and cried for like an hour?"

"Yeah," he laughed, but it sounded wrong. "I made you a bet, telling you nothing could be worse than that pain."

"You owe me 20 bucks," I tried to laugh again, but it ended with a cough. I could feel the taste of blood in my mouth.

"Oh come on, it's just a flesh wound. It's not that bad," he tried to joke, and I wanted to go with the flow. But I could feel that it was a lot more than that.

"No, Kyle. It's... "

I could feel it inside me, or at least that's what it felt like. The bullet was still somewhere inside me, and every time I moved, even a little bit, it felt like it was killing me from the inside out.

I realized then that I probably wouldn't get through this. It's why Jared was so opposed to me falling asleep, why Kyle sounded so worried. That damn bullet would kill me.

"Tell her I love her, okay?" I struggled with getting the words out, finding it hard to find my voice. "And that I'm sorry."

"No goodbyes," Kyle shook his head, "We're almost there. Doc's gonna fix this. You tell her yourself."

I turned to Jared then, since Kyle choose to not listen to me.

I knew I could trust him. He loved Wanda too, as a close friend. He would make sure that she wouldn't do anything stupid.

"Make sure she doesn't do anything stupid," I said, noticing how my voice sounded a lot like a whisper. I didn't want it to be, I wanted it to be strong. Loud.

"Whatever could Wanda do that would be stupid?" he joked, trying to keep the situation as light as it could be. Trying to make me focus on something other then the pain. It worked.

"She almost died for Mel," I whispered, remembering I had to thank him for that. "Thanks."

"She won't do anything stupid," he promised, and I saw him grin. "Besides, you can't do die on a girl the day after you sleep with her. She'd think you'd hate her."

I was about to reply to him, but I heard other voices then. Screaming. Yelling, from a distance. I realized then that we were back, and already inside the caves. How could I have missed that?

"We heard shooting, what the hell happened?" It was Wanda's voice. But then I realized she wouldn't have that tone. It was... It was Mel. Yeah, it was Melanie. It had to be.

"Ian?" the voice asked then, terrified. Before I had the time to even think about saying something, I heard Jared's voice.

"Find Wanda. Distract her until all of this is over. Jamie, too."

"It's too late," Kyle said under his breath, and then I could hear her voice. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't make out her words. I wanted to hear what she said.

"Ian... Kyle... Seeker," was all I could make out from the voices around me, and then I saw that face. Those silver eyes. They were boring right into mine, tears falling down her cheeks.

I felt like it was safe to fall asleep then, just for a second. Wanda had seen me, she knew I was okay. But I felt a slap across my face. Probably from Mel.

Not allowed to sleep, right.

"'S okay," I tried to reassure Wanda. "Just a flesh wound. Gonna be alright."

I knew everyone heard the lie in my voice, but my Wanderer nodded, trying desperately to believe me. I was about to open my mouth and talk again when Wanda pressed her fingers against my lips.

"Save it," she murmured, and I nodded. Kyle knew what I wanted to say to her, and he would say it if something happened. But I had to talk to Mel.

"Mel?" I asked, and I felt someone grab my hand.

"Right here."

All of the words didn't find their way out of my mouth, but it seemed like she understood.

"Watch her, might do s'thing stupid."

Jared laughed, and Mel chuckled but Wanda was dead serious. She didn't think it was funny at all.

"Hey, c'mere," I whispered and she knew what I wanted. I could feel myself slipping away, but I needed to feel her soft lips against mine one more time. One last time.

Her hand stroked my hair as she leaned down, her lips pressed against mine. I wanted to kiss her back, but I couldn't find it in me to do that. I also wanted to tell her I loved her, but her lips didn't have the chance to leave mine before the darkness around me pulled me under.

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><p>I heard voices before anything else came to me. I was lying down on something uncomfortable, probably one of Doc's cots, and I felt no pain despite the fact that I knew I had been shot. I moved my right hand, expecting pain, but felt nothing. I felt fabric under my fingers, but there was some kind of pressure underneath it. All around my torso. Feeling through my shirt, I realized that Doc had probably wound something around me. To keep a steady pressure.<p>

Fluttering my eyes open, I noticed that it was light in the room, so I couldn't have been out for long. Long enough for Doc to give me some No Pain and Heal, definitely, but I doubted that it was any longer. Not more than a few hours, from the amount of light in the room. I guessed for around mid-day.

I turned my head toward the voices and saw my brother sitting on a cot not far from me. Sunny was sitting beside him, and he was talking to Doc about something. Sunny's eyes wandered across the room, and her eyes widened when she saw me. She started to tuck at Kyle's shirt.

"He's awake," she whispered when he tried to ignore her, obviously talking about something important. Kyle's head flew in my direction, looking like he didn't believe her at first. Like he didn't believe what he saw. Then he moved and he was beside me in a matter of seconds.

"Worry doesn't suit you," I said, noticing how weak my voice was. I sounded almost sick.

"That's all you can say after two days of being unconscious?"

What did he mean, two days?

"Can't have been more than two hours," I told him, and his eyes wandered from me to his right. I followed and saw Doc take a step ahead.

"Your brother is right, Ian. You've been out for two days; some people thought you wouldn't wake up."

"You're the Doc," I tried, when he looked just as worried as Kyle. He had to have been sure that I would have woken up eventually. Someone had to convince Wanda. Where was she by the way?

Doc let out a sigh, and started to explain.

"The bullet missed most vital organs, but there was no exit wound. So I had to cut you open, and take the bullet out on my own. Candy helped me clean and heal, and we've been giving you No Pain. We thought you would wake up on your own, but when you didn't we gave you some Awake. It didn't help. But you're awake now, and you should be fully recovered."

"So what, I was in a coma?" I asked, trying to sit up. I failed at the first attempt, the pain coming from nowhere. Doc noticed and quickly handed me the bottle of No Pain. As I took it, I almost expected Kyle to tell me not to be such a baby, but nothing came out of his mouth. He just stood there while Doc explained it to me.

He didn't want to call it a coma either, because I had been responding to some things. Actually, to Wanda only. My fingers would twitch when she held my hand, or my eyes would flutter as if I was having a bad dream.

Doc said he could only explain it like I'd been in a really deep sleep.

I could feel myself grow somewhat stronger as he talked, but I could feel that I still wasn't my usual self. I didn't have as much energy as I usually did.

But I needed to know where my girl was.

"Where's Wanda?"

"Mel eventually forced her up to the kitchen, she hasn't been eating or drinking or anything... That's what happens when you sleep with a girl, y'know. They begin to worry."

"Shut up, will you?" I felt like hitting my brother in the head, but I didn't want to risk feeling the pain again. I still hadn't swallowed the friggin' pill.

But I placed it on my tongue then and felt it melt. When I was sure that it had gone into my system, I reached my arm out and slapped him. It wasn't hard or anything, and it only caused him to laugh.

As I jumped off the cot, Doc shot me a warning glance.

"I'm not sure you should..."

"I'm gonna go see her, like it or not," I told him as I started to walk.

"You should listen to the doctor, bro," Kyle stated as he walked up to me, but instead of dragging me back, he made sure he supported me by taking a steady grip around my arm.

"You're so gay," I laughed as we walked out of the hospital, but he didn't laugh with me. He didn't even let go. I must had really freaked him out.

"I'm sorry, y'know," I told him honestly as we walked through the corridors.

"Yeah, yeah, you took a bullet for me. Don't act like I owe you something," he told me, trying to joke it away, but I saw through him and he let out a sigh when he knew he couldn't hide anything from me. I knew him too well. "I thought I lost you for a second, there. We all did."

"I couldn't let you die on me, Kyle. Sure, I hate you sometimes, but you're my brother. You're the only family I have."

"You have Wanda," he disagreed with me. "Speaking of which, about what you were doing the other night..."

"Kyle," I was about to argue but he ignored me and continued.

"I was thinking about that, with me and Sunny, y'know."

He was embarrassed to say it, and I stopped in my track. He seriously thought about having sex with Sunny? I knew they had gotten close over these months, but _that_ close? And she was in Jodi's body for god's sake!

"Don't look at me like that, man. I know it's bad, but Jodi's not coming back to me. She's gone, no matter how much I wish she wasn't. And Sunny's nice, you know. I thought all souls were the same, but she and Wanda are so different. They have such different personalities. The only thing they actually have in common is the fact that they're aliens, kind, and unwilling to break laws. And looking away from all of that, looking away from the part that she's in Jodes' body, I think I kinda like her."

"I can't believe you've actually given up on Jodi," was all I managed to say.

"I have to stop hoping. We both know she's not coming back."

"I've known that for a long time, Kyle. But I never thought you'd actually let her go."

"I have to," he mumbled again and I could see how much pain he was in. He loved Jodi, and he always would. Especially with her body here in the caves. But he was right, and he had to move on. He had to stop hoping. Otherwise it would kill him some day. Drive him crazy.

"We never had this conversation, okay?" he asked as we rounded a corner, and came out into the main plaza. The people around us hadn't noticed us just yet, but they did before I had the chance to answer him. He let go of my arm the same second people saw me.

"Only if you give me those 20 bucks," I joked and he laughed with me as people around us started to greet us with welcoming smiles and hugs. I smiled back, but all I wanted was to get out of there and find Wanda. As we managed to get through the crowd, Jamie saw me and grinned.

"Where's Wanda?" I asked after smiling back, telling him I was really okay. He told me I could find her in the kitchen with Mel and Jared. Kyle followed me, still checking up on me, but he stopped outside the entrance.

"I've got something better than those 20 bucks," he told me and reached into his back pocket. Tossing me a box of condoms, he laughed as he turned around and walked away.

"Asshole," I laughed under my breath, not really caring to be annoyed because I knew I would actually use them. Placing the box in my pocket, I walked into the kitchen and saw Wanda and Mel with their backs against me. Jared faced them, and I listened as they tried to get Wanda to eat.

It was bad.

"Wanda, you have to eat something," Mel tried, her voice almost desperate. She didn't answer, and when Jared lifted his gaze he saw me standing in the doorway. He was about to say something when I shook my head and placed my finger to my lips. I made a motion for him and Mel to leave, and he stood up.

"Mel, can I talk to you?" he asked, and she stood up. As soon as she turned around, he made a quick move and held his hand over her mouth. She got the picture, but she reached up and gave me a hug before they walked out of the kitchen. Jared gave me a nod and a small smile, and I returned it.

A short moment after they both had left, Wanda moved in her seat and got up. I could see that she stared at the bowl in front of her, but she decided not to eat. When she turned around she didn't notice me at first since she kept her eyes on the ground, but I could see them clearly enough to know that she had been crying. And not just a little bit.

"You have to stop worrying so much, Wanda," I murmured and her eyes went from the ground to me within half a second of her hearing my voice. Her arms were tightly crossed over her chest, but when she saw me her arms fell to her sides as she threw herself at me. Once her arms were around my waist, her tiny body collapsed in sobs against mine. My arms snaked around her shoulders, holding her up, holding her close to me as I let my head lean down towards hers. I pressed a soft kiss on the top of her head, letting my lips linger there as she cried into my shirt.

Eventually she calmed down, but she didn't move. And neither did I.

"I woke up from the shooting, and then I couldn't find you. Mel promised everything was fine, just fine, but I could feel that it wasn't. And then they... Wes was hit in the shoulder, promised everything was fine. But his face Ian. And that's when I heard your voices. Everyone's but yours, and I just knew. And you were..." she cried against my chest, and my hand started to stroke her back. I didn't know how to comfort her. I had no idea. I didn't know what to say, so I just listened.

"Doc wasn't sure if you would wake up, but I refused to believe that you wouldn't. Mel forced me up here, I didn't want to go. Jared threatened to carry me, so eventually I just went."

"You need to eat," I murmured, but she continued as if she hadn't heard me.

"I wanted to be there when you woke up. I wasn't."

"You're here now," I told her as I leaned out from our embrace to look at her. She had the shadow of a smile on her lips, and as I grabbed her hand she gladly took it. "And you really do need to eat."

I lead her to the table, where I sat down and as she was about to do the same I pulled her closer to me and she ended up in my lap. Wrapping my arms around her to keep her there, she relaxed against me and let out a sigh before she took a piece of bread and placed it in her mouth.

When she had eaten at least a little bit, I asked her if anyone had told her what had happened out there. Jared had eventually told her, but not in detail. I couldn't remember much besides the pain, but as she recalled what Jared had told her I remembered some more things. Like the conversations we had when they carried me back. I really did think I was gonna die.

"Did it hurt?" she whispered, hesitant.

"Yeah," I murmured, placing a kiss on her temple. "But Kyle and Jared tried to make me forget it."

I would have to thank them for that. For not letting me close my eyes. For making sure I didn't die.

"Jared even brought up how I couldn't have sex with a girl, and then die. You'd hate me."

"I could never hate you," she looked up at me, worry in her eyes. But I already knew that. I never doubted her love for me.

"I know," I reassured her as I pressed my lips against hers a few times.

"Kyle's been talking about that a lot, by the way," she whispered, a soft red color on her cheeks.

"He's probably told the whole place, hasn't he?" I laughed, shaking my head.

"No," she murmured. "He'd only mention it when we were in the Hospital, alone."

"You could have told him not to talk, and he probably wouldn't have."

I knew my brother, he would have continued. Made it worse. But somehow, Wanda didn't seem to care.

"He seemed to forget about you – I think it was his way of dealing, so I let him."

She was so kind, so selfless. And I knew deep in my heart that I didn't deserve her. I had hurt her over and over again. She was too good to me.

"I'm sorry. For everything," I whispered, but she shook her head. Told me I didn't have to be sorry about anything. Nothing was my fault. She told me she loved me, and I pressed my lips against hers again. Harder this time. Thanking her for everything.

"What's that smile about?" I mused when I leaned out, and she relaxed against me.

"I was just thinking about something."

"What's that something?" I wanted to know, and I felt her relax more and more. I wouldn't be surprised if she fell asleep right there and then. Kyle did tell me she hadn't been sleeping anything.

"That even though I hate that we took your planet, I'm really glad I'm here. That I choose Earth when I did. Otherwise I wouldn't have been placed in Mel, and she wouldn't have brought me here. Brought me to you. I would never have known what it's like to love someone – love _you_. I would have just lived on the way I did, not ever _feeling_ anything. When I think back of those days now, the only way I can explain it is as if I was numb. But that sounds wrong too. I just wandered, around looking for something. And now I realize that I was looking for you. All along, it was you."

I remembered how Mel had told me about Wanda's love for me. How I was like her anchor, how I was what kept her here. I knew I could never love her the way she loved me, and I hated that. But at the same time I knew that we're from different species – they have their love of mating and we have ours. They become partners for life – and life can last forever – but us humans, we could go from a relationship to another, all our life. Never find someone we would actually live our whole lives with. But still, that's how I felt for Wanda. I knew that my love for her was as strong as human love came, if not stronger. And I knew that I would always love her, always keep falling in love with her. Because I did, everyday. And I loved it.

"Doc doesn't want you moving anymore," Kyle screamed at the top of his lungs from outside the kitchen, and before he had the chance to actually walk in, I whispered to Wanda that I loved her.

"I'm not moving, are I?" I asked as he took food from the counter and I heard several footsteps behind us.

Great, _lunch_.

I could forget being alone with Wanda. At least for an hour.

"You could have been," he stated as he flopped down opposite to us and started to eat. Mel, Jared and Jamie squeezed in at our table and Mel looked relieved.

"You got her to eat."

"Not much," I murmured, holding Wanda closer. She had managed to fall asleep, but I didn't want to move her. "Where's Sunny?"

"Hiding," Kyle answered me as he shoved the roll of bread into his mouth. He rolled his eyes at my confused looks, and explained while chewing. "Andy saw Nate and Burns out there, and they're bringing them in here now. And since Burns doesn't really know about Sunny, we figured she might as well hide for a while."

I hadn't even noticed until now that both Andy and Wes was missing, and I guessed that Wes had gone with Andy to show them the way. Actually, most likely to blindfold them and lead them inside. Yeah, sure, Nate was human. But that didn't mean we trusted him and his cell enough to show them the way to our caves. Anything could happen.

But I really didn't like that Burns was with him. I had only met him that one time, but despite that I knew that he was just like any soul. Like Wanda, in a lot of ways. But Wanda was Wanda, and Burns was Burns. And I really didn't like the way he looked at my girl.

"Whatever happened to the Seeker?" I asked, forcing myself to think of something else. I saw a shared glance between Jared, Mel and Kyle and wondered what that was about. "What?"

"We haven't been able to get any answers out of her," Mel explained. "Not even me, when I pretended to be Wanda. She didn't buy it, and she didn't even say anything when I hit her. Wanda's been really uncomfortable, even with her being down in the hospital all the time. Doc was supposed to remove her today; see if the body wakes up. But now when Burns is on his way..."

"You can't," I finished for her and saw her nod. Of course we couldn't risk that. We all know how much Wanda had sacrificed to give that secret away, and how guilty she felt about it. Especially me. Even though she did it for Mel, she felt like a traitor sometimes. For turning her back on her own society. And I figured Burns wouldn't exactly like it if he knew that we knew how to remove a soul from a human host. If he knew that a soul had told us.

So I figured we had to get them out of here as fast as possible, and remove the soul from the body.

"Where are you keeping her?"

"Walter's old room. There's always two people standing as guards," Kyle told me, still food in his mouth.

They had the time to finish eating before I heard Wes' voice, and turned around to see four people walk into the kitchen. I noticed Burns first. Maybe it was because he was so tall, or maybe it was because I disliked him so much.

Doc had already told me that he wanted to examine me, and I promised him I would let him as soon as Wanda woke up. But she was still asleep, and no way I would let her out of my sight now when Burns was here. So Doc would just have to wait until Wanda was awake, and willing to walk with me down to the hospital. Because I knew she wouldn't let me out of her sight.

Burns and Nate stood by the counter when Jared finally asked what they were doing here.

"Figured I could help with a raid," Burns answered him with a small smile. "It's faster with two Souls."

He glanced at Wanda, sleeping in my arms, and his eyes lingered on her tiny body. I didn't like it, and Kyle laughed when he saw that I cradled her closer to me. Mel chuckled with him.

I knew that Wanda and Burns got along pretty great. She was fascinated with him. Despite her living on so many planets, he had been on one she had never even considered living on. He told her stories, and she told him stories. Despite his looks, she always looked at me and I knew that she didn't feel anything toward the other soul. I also knew that she was very unaware of his glances.

She was the only one.

"We do need a short raid," Jared agreed, liking the sound of having two souls with him. But he looked at me and then at Wanda and laughed to himself. "I have a feeling Wanda's not coming with us though."

I knew what he meant, and I wondered if he was right or not. I knew she wanted to be with me, but she would also want to be on that raid. She would be confused, wanting to go to help everyone, but wanting to stay because I wanted her next to me. I already knew that Doc wouldn't let me out on a raid in a while, and he had probably talked to Jeb about not letting me do any work either.

"Why not?" Burns asked.

"Ian's not going," my brother explained quickly with a grin. "But I am. Jared is. Probably Mel."

"Actually," she interrupted him, placing her hand on Jared's knee. "I think I'm gonna sit this one out."

I understood why when she glanced at Wanda. She wanted to make sure she was alright.

"Can I go?" Jamie asked Jared excitedly, but fell in silence with one glare by his sister, and I kept a quiet chuckle to myself.

"So me, Kyle, and Burns. Should be enough, since we don't need much," I heard Jared say. We were pretty much alone in the kitchen by now. Jeb had kicked everyone out a few moments after Nate and Burns showed up. There was more work to deal with.

"What exactly do we need?" I heard Wes say, and from the sound of it, he would be coming too. "I mean, didn't you guys just come back a few weeks ago?"

Jared looked at Wanda, glanced at Burns, and then he pursed his lips. I knew exactly what he meant by that. Doc was running low on medicines, and Wanda would easily be able to get us some. Again, neither of us trusted Burns enough. Who knew, maybe he hadn't even fixed medicines for his own cell? I knew we were more than lucky to have Wanda in our lives, but we only had those medicines in the first place because Jamie fell on that knife. Because it was the last way out. Because it was the only way to save him.

"Food," Jared stated and I knew that Wanda and I would probably make a small raid in a week or so. "Jamie, you have school."

I laughed, knowing Jared would bring up the fact that we needed condoms, but he didn't want to do it in Jamie's presence. I understood more than enough.

"But I wanna-"

"Go," Mel insisted and Jamie muttered something as he left and Jared waited a few seconds before he continued with the list.

"Food, soap; the normal stuff," he looked at Burns as he spoke. "And condoms."

"The condoms are all out?" Wes asked, a small pout on his lips.

"Don't look like that, I saw you with two boxes just a few days ago," I told him.

"Don't look at me, Kyle stole one of them from me," he argued back and everyone looked at Kyle.

"Hey, I gave it to Ian like an hour ago," he lifted his hands up into the air as if to surrender, and I felt all eyes on me and Wanda. Burns as well. And I didn't like it.

"I want 20 bucks for it," I stated with a grin and Kyle groaned.

"We don't have 20 bucks, bro."

"I know," I laughed and Jared shook his head in amusement. He and Kyle knew why I wanted those money. They were there for the conversation after all.

"We leave after sunset," Jared exclaimed a moment later and he left with Mel. Probably to go pack. Doc walked into the kitchen then, most likely to check on me. I could feel Wanda stir in my arms, and knew that she would wake up soon. Placing a soft kiss against the top of her head, I felt her move and a second later her beautiful silver eyes bored into mine. She looked tired, but she had a small smile on her lips.

"Wanda," I heard Burns say, and my eyes moved from Wanda to him. I was annoyed. Couldn't he even let me have a small moment with my girl? Did he have to interrupt us?

"What's going on?" Wanda whispered, her voice still deep with sleep. She hadn't slept for long, and I knew that she would fall asleep easily tonight.

I smiled as she looked at me when she asked the question, and not at Burns. Even though the question was obviously about him and his presence.

"Burns thought a few extra hands would be handy on a raid," I explained and she didn't break our gaze.

"We're going on a raid?"

"Jared, Kyle, Wes and Burns are. Doc won't let me go. They probably need you too," I told her. I actually knew that they needed her, and I ignored Kyle's laugh. He heard the jealously in my voice, even though I thought I had hid it pretty well. Of course I was jealous. I didn't want Wanda and Burns on the same raid. Not even if I was there.

Wanda looked between me, Kyle and Burns several times before her eyes stopped on my face.

"I- Would it be okay if I stayed here?"

"We expected so much," Kyle told her but her eyes never left mine. We barely heard him, having a conversation on our own.

"You can go, if that's what you want. You don't have to stay for me," I murmured and she shook her head.

"I know. But _I_ want to stay here, with you."

I smiled, hearing the truth. She did something for herself for once, and not to please everyone else. That was big of her, to be a little selfish.

I pressed her lips against hers for a short moment, but I felt Doc's eyes on us and I broke the kiss with a sigh.

"Doc wants to check on me. I'll be right back."

She moved from my lap but she quickly grabbed my hand.

"I'm coming with you."

Doc sent me away with a bottle of No Pain after a very long and thorough examination, muttering something about the fact that we were running low on meds. Wanda looked at him before she looked at me, and I knew that she really wanted to go on that raid. Get medication for Doc, and for all of us.

"Don't worry so much," I whispered and she leaned into my side with a small smile on her lips.

Doc had warned that it would probably hurt for a few weeks, but he couldn't know for sure because he didn't know how exactly the soul's medications worked. He knew that they worked – we all did – but he didn't know _how_. Not even Candy could help him with that.

Jeb had told me not to work for at least a week, and by the look on Wanda's face she didn't want me to work for at least a month. If ever again.

But I knew that I had to, and I also knew that I would have to ration the bottle of No Pain I had in my hand. I would only take it if it was absolutely necessary. A little pain I could handle.

After washing off the dried blood I still had on me, Wanda and I walked hand in hand to the kitchen for dinner. I could see that she was still worried about me, worried about me moving so much, but I felt better and stronger for every step I took. I was beginning to get my strength back. Beginning to get back to myself.

But I was hungry, and I ate a lot more than I usually did. No one stopped me though. No one said I ate too much, said I had to share. Technically, I hadn't eaten for two days. Almost three. They couldn't blame me for being hungry. And besides, the raiders would leave shortly and return in about a week with more food. It was a small raid, after all.

Even after dinner, everyone seemed to linger in the kitchen, for obvious reasons. We always ended up like this the night someone left for a raid. Talking until it was time to leave, or time to go to bed.

"Wanda, tell us a story?" Jamie asked with a grin on his face, and every discussion in the kitchen fell silent.

"You already know everything," she murmured, glancing at me.

"No we don't," I argued, wanting to hear her stories. It had been a while. Actually, she hadn't been telling stories in this body at all. It was always something she did in Mel's body, something she did to get us to accept her. To get us fascinated rather than disgusted. She didn't need that anymore.

"What do you want to know?" she looked at Jamie now, and I laughed at the expression on his face. It was like he was trying to solve a hard puzzle. But someone else beat him to it.

"Why did you pick Earth?" Burns wondered, and I clenched my jaw. I didn't mind hearing the story again, even though I already knew it. Everyone in the kitchen knew it. Everyone but Burns and Nate. And in a way, I didn't want Burns to know. Picking a planet was rather private, and he should know that.

But of course Wanda didn't mind telling him.

I tried to concentrate on the story, on Wanda's hands playing with mine, but I couldn't. All I could see was Burns' eyes on Wanda. Like she was the last woman on earth, and he just had to have her. Like he _owned_ her. Almost like he _loved_ her.

Wanda and I left the kitchen shortly after the raiders did, and we passed them on our way to our room. Wes saying goodbye to Lily, Jared to Mel, and Kyle to Sunny. My eyes lingered on the two, on the way Kyle tried to figure out how exactly to say goodbye. It was natural for Wes and Lily, as well as Jared and Mel. But Kyle had a hard time trying to figure it out, but then he decided to place a kiss on her forehead before he quickly turned around and followed both Jared and Wes as they walked toward the exit.

My eyes was on Sunny then, on the way she looked at Kyle as he left. There was something odd about the look. Something odd, but yet something very familiar.

I didn't have the time to think about it before Wanda interrupted my thoughts.

"Why don't you like him? Burns, I mean."

I wasn't surprised that she had noticed.

"It's not that I dislike him," I tried but she saw through me and I let out a sigh. I didn't know how to explain it. Telling her that I was jealous wouldn't be enough. She would want to know why. "Look, Wanda... You said once that Mel only really belonged to Jared, right?"

I saw her nod, and I continued.

"As much as you belong with me, you don't belong to me. You don't belong to anyone but _yourself_. And Burns, he looks at you like you're his. Like you belong to him, and like he _loves_ you. And no matter how much I can understand why he looks at you like that, I don't like it. You're not _his_."

"I'm yours," she murmured with a small smile; her way to reassure me that she loved me. That she wasn't going anywhere. "And you're mine. Right?"

"Right," I told her as I moved the red door and let her into our room. "But you're not a possession, Wanda. You might be mine, and I might be yours, but we don't _own_ each other."

As soon as the door was back in place, she grabbed my hands and pulled me to her. Her tiny hands moved to my sides, her fingers playing with the fabric of my shirt as her silvery eyes bored into mine.

"You're jealous of him," she whispered and I nodded. "But Ian, I love _you_. No one else. You're the reason I'm here, the reason I don't ever wanna leave. You're my anchor."

"And you're my reason, Wanderer," I smiled until she returned it, and then I leaned down to gently press a kiss against her full lips. I heard her sigh as she kissed me back, the smile still playing on her lips. Shivers rose on my body as her hands moved under my shirt, her gentle fingers drawing patters on my back. As she captured my lower lip softly between her teeth, I knew exactly what she wanted. And god, I wanted it too.

There was a voice in my head telling me that Doc wouldn't approve, but I really didn't care and I pressed my tongue into her mouth.

Pressing her body closer to mine, Wanda's hands grabbed the hem of my shirt and pulled it over my head. Her lips pressed against my chest with feathery light touches, and my mouth found it's way to her throat. Just as I leaned out to inspect the hickey I gave her, there was a knock on the door and Wanda groaned.

"We're not here," I whispered to her, hoping that who ever was out there would leave us alone.

"Ian?" We heard then, Sunny's voice careful from the other side of the doors. "I have to talk to you."

"Can it wait until tomorrow?" I wondered, watching Wanda as she breathed in and out.

"Actually no," she answered. "It's... It's Jodi."


	3. Don't let it end, pt 3

**So here's the ending of this short story, and I hope that it has something for everyone. I hope that the ending was good, and that you will enjoy it. Drop of some reviews, and let me know :)**

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><p>"Go eat something," I murmured and Wanda's silver eyes looked into mine. Slightly worried. Yeah, I probably needed to eat as well. But I didn't feel like it at the moment.<p>

"Yeah, let's go eat something," Mel agreed with me and Wanda just barely had the time to press her lips against mine before Mel dragged her away from me. "Let's just make sure we ignore Lacey."

Mel laughed and I heard Wanda's distant chuckle as well, and it wasn't hard to figure out what she was thinking about. The Seeker.

It had been a week since I was shot, a week since Jared, Kyle and the rest went off for the raid, a week since Doc removed the Seeker from the body. Wanda refused to be there. She was so confused, and she didn't expect anyone to understand but both Mel and I did. She had told us both that she didn't want the Seeker to die, but she didn't want her on another planet either. She didn't want her to tell the story about us, even if it was hundreds of years after we had actually lived. So Wanda had told us that she didn't want to know what happened. And none of us would tell her, unless she asked. But Mel and I both knew that the Seeker had never even been placed in the cryotank. We barely even thought about it, which would make us bad I guess. But we're human, and we can hate. We hold grudges. Doc hadn't been able to be in the room though, and Wanda didn't want me to leave her side, so Mel had done the whole thing with Candy. Jeb had been there as well.

It took about a day and a half before the body woke up. Lacey. It wasn't hard to understand why the Seeker was the way she had been with Lacey stuck in her head. She pretty much represented what was worst with humans. Wanda didn't like her, no matter how hard she tried. Hell, none of us liked her, and she didn't like us either. But we tried to make room.

And now we were trying to make room for one more.

I squeezed Jodi's hand, trying to will her to wake up. Sunny was taken out fourteen hours ago, and she was in the blinking cryotank sitting on the cot beside the one Jodi was sleeping on. I refused to think of it as any other thing. Sunny had found her. She was awake inside the mind. Not as strong as Mel was, but she was there. She was awake. Alive. And she had to wake up.

"Come on Jodes, don't ditch on us again," I murmured, trying not to think about it. There was a silent agreement between all of us to not tell Kyle if she didn't wake up. We'd just put Sunny back in the body, as if nothing had happened, and wait for Jodi to get stronger. Then we'd tell him. Sunny or I. Maybe both. I don't know. I didn't want that to happen. I wanted Jodi to be here when my brother came back. I wanted him to be happy, like the way he was before all of this. Before the world ended. I actually needed the world to end before I found someone who made me happy the way Jodi had always made Kyle happy. I knew that deep down – no matter how hard he tried to hide it – Kyle couldn't be happy without her. Just like I couldn't be happy without my Wanda.

"Doc, do you think she's gonna wake up?" I asked after maybe ten minutes and Doc looked up from his desk.

"I didn't think you would, but you did, so my opinion doesn't really matter."

"Say it," I told him and he let out a sigh.

"From what we've seen from Wanda and Mel, and Lacey and the Seeker, she will wake up. Shouldn't take long. But at the same time, we don't know how strong Lacey's presence was. We don't know how strong Mel was. We don't know how strong Jodi was. I'm guessing weaker than Mel, weaker than Lacey."

"I don't think anyone can be as present as Mel was," I murmured, thinking back about the time Wanda had been inside Mel. How distant she'd be when talking to her, how angry Mel had been at me at times, how Jared was the only one to truly bring her out. Wanda had told me that she was strongest when Jared was around. But Mel was strong, mentally. And I knew Jodi. She was actually a lot like Mel. Strong-minded, kind, stubborn, brave. She would wake up, she had to.

"Jodi, c'mon," I said, turning to the sleeping body next to me. "Kyle's gonna freak when he sees you. You remember that time when I was, what, ten? You had just moved into the neighbourhood, and when Kyle saw you he actually blushed. Kyle. From the first moment he saw you, all he had eyes on was you. Sure, it actually took him five years to admit it and come clean about his feelings, but you've always been the one for him."

"You're lying," someone said, and at first I didn't register. The voice was too weak, too much of a whisper for me to even know if that were the words. But I had heard it, and the voice belonged to Jodi. She was awake. I didn't say anything until her eyes opened, and I ignored the feeling of wanting to cry. She had always been like a sister to me, and it was really nice to have her back with me.

"I'm not lying," I told her with a grin and she chuckled. "It's good to see you Jodes."

"You too, Ian," she smiled and for a moment I wondered if she knew where she was. If she could remember anything. But when she sat up as Doc came over to examine her, she gave him a small nod, and I knew that at least she was aware of who he was.

"What do you know?" Doc asked after introducing himself, and she looked at me.

"Everything. Or at least a lot. I have these memories from the... _alien_," she gritted her teeth, and I let out a sigh. I couldn't blame her for being like this. Even Wanda and Mel used to hate each other. Probably still would have if it hadn't been for them wanting the same thing. Wanting to find Jamie. Jared. Jeb. I wondered how she felt about me and Wanda then, but shook the thought away. She would change her mind when she met her. She had to.

"_Sunny_ said that you woke up when I was shot," I said, trying to get conformation.

"More like the aftermath. Seeing how worried Kyle was," she said and I nodded. I had figured so much. Jodi was that kind of person after all. She'd do anything for the people she loved. A lot like Mel.

"We really do need to talk," I told her and she nodded. As soon as Doc gave her a clear, he told her it was nice to finally meet her and then we left. I figured I could show here the place, even though she knew it. From Sunny's memories.

"Kyle's on a raid, he should be back in a few days," I told her and saw her nod. She knew that much. So I continued. "Our parents never made it. I figure yours didn't either. Kyle and I, we found this place five years ago. It was hell for four of them. Then Jared and Jamie showed up, and not long after that, Mel and Wanda showed up. They brought us hope. Even Kyle hoped for a while."

"Does he still love me, Ian?" she asked then, and I stopped. She stopped next to me, and her eyes stared into mine. She really believed that Kyle didn't love her?

I remembered the conversation we had just a few days ago, but I knew that Kyle would always love this woman in front of me. Always.

"Jodi, Kyle couldn't stop loving you even if he tried."

She wasn't convinced.

"The way he's been acting around the alien, around my body, around..."

"Hey," I stopped her. "He love you, okay? Yes sure, he told me the other day that he had to give up on you. On you ever waking up. But it was hard for him to say it, because I don't think he truly believed it himself. No matter how much he wanted to stop hoping, he always would. Hope is the last thing to leave a human body. And over the years, I've found him looking at the ring. Even more so after he brought your body here."

"What ring?" she asked, and I started to move again. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, and I tried to think of where to begin. The truth, I guessed.

"Before the invasion, Kyle had plans on proposing. He only told me because I found the ring. Made me promise to shut up until he found the perfect moment. I had to swear that I'd never tell you. But then the world stopped, and you left with your parents. Kyle left with me and our parents. He always kept the ring. After losing everything, I think it kept him sane. In a way. It was the closest he ever was to you. And when you didn't wake up the last time, he just... He had nothing else. You felt further from him than ever. He made Sunny promise to look for you, and now here you are."

"Here I am," she murmured and we were quiet for a long time. When she talked, it was clear that she didn't want to talk about Kyle anymore. Now I was the subject.

"You fell in love," she said, her lips in a tight line. "How could you fall for one of them Ian?"

I ignored the accusation in her voice, and answered her question as truthfully as I could.

"Because she's the nicest, most selfless person I've ever met. Because she's so willing to do everything for someone she loves, because she was willing to..." I stopped myself right there then. I figured that it would be better if Kyle told her that he had tried to kill someone. Sunny never knew. She would only be freaked out, probably never want to see Kyle again. Wanda was stronger than she was. In a lot of ways. "She's strong. Brilliant, intelligent, absolutely clueless from time to time. Beautiful."

"She's a parasite," she said. "They're not beautiful."

"Jodes, I've held her. _Her_. And trust me, she's beautiful. Both her body and her soul. Everything about her is more than I've ever dreamed of. And trust me, you'll like her too. Even Kyle came around. And you know Kyle."

"So you really love her then? It's not just some crazy need...?"

"No," I interrupted her before she could continue. "Trust me, no. You know me Jodi. When I was sixteen, and my first girlfriend broke up with me, do you remember what you said? You said that no one deserves me, but with Wanda it's the other way around. I don't deserve _her_. She's too good for us humans."

"I guess I'll have to meet her then," she said, and I smiled. She would like her, I was sure of it.

"Before you meet Wanda, I have someone else you need to meet," I told her. We had reached the kitchen by now, and Mel came out of the kitchen just on time.

"Mel, this is Jodi. Jodi, Mel. I think you too have a lot to talk about," I stated, and Mel grinned.

"Nice to finally meet you, Jodi. You have to tell me why you fell in love with such a pigheaded moron like Kyle," Mel wrapped her arm around Jodi's shoulder and I laughed to myself as they walked away. Mel could make her understand all about Wanda. About everything. She would make her feel welcome.

I walked into the kitchen when I couldn't see them anymore, and I ran into Wanda while doing so. I grabbed her before she fell to the ground and she laughed.

"Hi," she said and I pressed my lips against hers. "You look happy. Is Jodi awake?"

"Yeah," I smiled. "But you probably shouldn't run into her before Mel has the time to explain everything."

"She doesn't like me," Wanda whispered, and her face fell.

"She just doesn't understand," I told her, wrapping my arms around her. "None of us used to, and look at us now."

"I love you," she whispered after a moment and I pressed my lips against hers again. Longer this time.

"I love you too."

She took my hand and sat by me as I ate, and there was no surprise that people lingered in the kitchen. Wanda and I would be leaving in a few hours, go on a small raid. We were running low on medications after all. But before I left, I had to make sure that Jodi was okay with Mel. And the rest. But I was confident that Mel would make her understand.

"What will happen to Sunny, now when Jodi is awake?" Jamie asked, and I looked at the kid. He asked the question none of us has dared asked. We didn't know. We would probably find her a body. We would gladly make room for her. But there was the problem of Kyle and Jodi. Sunny clearly had feelings for Kyle, but none of us knew what kind of feelings. Mel and Wanda guessed that Jodi's feelings had rubbed off on her. The way Mel's feelings for Jared and Jamie rubbed off on her. But Wanda had me to fall in love with, and her feelings for Jared erased themselves. Sunny didn't have that. So we didn't know exactly what to do. But our hopes were to find a body to her.

"I guess Kyle will have to decide," I told the kid and he nodded. He understood. This question had been around ever since Mel and Wanda walked into the caves, into our lives. Whoever the body belonged to would make the call. The soul, in this case. And Sunny belonged to Kyle more than anyone else. She wanted to stay, but she had accepted that she might wake up on another planet. She even said it herself. If Kyle didn't want her there, if he wanted just Jodi, then she wanted us to ship her off to another planet. She was a part of the decision too.

"We should catch some sleep," Wanda squeezed my hand after an hour and I agreed. It would be a long drive, and we both needed the sleep. Especially since none of us had been sleeping for almost twenty hours.

We met Mel on the way to our room, and I stopped her.

"She's okay. She wanted to be alone. I guess she has a lot to think about."

"Yeah, she does," I agreed. "What did you tell her?"

"Everything," she chuckled. "How Wanda and I used to hate each other. How we eventually we started to love each other. How she feels about you. About humans. That she's really someone to like. I told her that it was obvious that Jodi means a lot to Kyle, and that she's someone we'll all like. I told her to think about Sunny. Told her to figure out if she hated her because of the person she is, or because she's a Soul. She promised she'd think about it."

"So you like her?" I asked. I admitted to myself then that I had been slightly worried. Mel and Jodi was so alike it could end in both ways. Either they'd love each other or hate each other.

"Yeah, I do. But if she'll decide on hating Wanda, and I'll go ahead and hate her right back."

"Mel," Wanda started but Mel cut her off saying it was a joke. To calm her down. But from the look in her eyes, her words held a lot of truth in them. Wanda and Mel had really come a long way. Mel was my biggest ally when it came to Wanda. She understood her just as much as I did, if not a lot more. She was there to defend her, just as much as I was.

"Thank you," I said, and she knew what I was thanking her for. Talking to Jodi, standing up to Wanda, not leaving for the raid.

"Well you two should really get some sleep," she said and gave Wanda a hug. "You have to go soon."

I watched them say their goodbyes, and soon Wanda and I were tangled in our bed. Her tiny head was on my chest, and my arms were tightly around her.

I was sure that she had fallen asleep when she finally spoke.

"Do you really think that she'll like me?" She started to play with my hair, and I knew that she was nervous.

"Don't worry about it," I murmured but her fingers didn't stop. "She's a lot like Mel, you'll see that in time. But she's not as stubborn as Kyle, and even Kyle likes you."

She took a deep breath and let out a sigh as her fingers stopped moving and I felt her relax next to me. She was asleep within seconds, but I stayed awake. I liked watching her sleep. She looked so peaceful, so happy. And I knew that soon she'd be worried, so I wanted to keep this picture in my mind. The small smile she had on her face as she breathed in and out evenly.

I woke her up a few hours later, and we sneaked down the hallways hand in hand. We never let each other go until we reached the jeep, and I took the wheel. I would be driving until the sun was up, and then we would switch. It was safer if she drove the whole time, but I liked driving. It was nice. I had always liked driving. It was something that calmed me down. Always had, always would.

When Wanda and I eventually switched places, I decided that I could sleep for an hour or two and Wanda didn't seem to disagree. She had figured out that I hadn't slept anything, and she didn't like it. So she looked happier when I fell asleep in the seat next to her.

"Ian," I heard her voice then, and when I opened my eyes I realized that the car had stopped. It was probably time for me to hide. The sun was in the middle of the sky, and it was probably around lunch. We had agreed to drive for a few hours before stopping, but not so long that we would be home later than tonight. We didn't want to be gone a long time, and we knew that the raiders would be home soon. I wanted to be there when Kyle found out about Jodi. So we had to hurry.

Climbing into the backseat, I cramped down on the floor under some blankets and just ten minutes later the car stopped again.

"Just don't move," she whispered, and I laughed. She knew I wouldn't. No matter of uncomfortable this was, we both knew that I wouldn't move. Not until she was back, not until she was safe.

I don't know how long I held that position, waiting for her to come back. Maybe half an hour. During that time I realized that we hadn't figured out a way for her to get to the medications. I figured she'd do what she usually did though. Complain about a headache. That usually gave her a few minutes on her own, and she had the time to take the medications we needed.

When the car door finally opened, she was quick to warn me not to move just yet and I didn't. When the car had to have been moving for ten minutes, I figured I could move and I groaned when I sat up. How the hell did I even fit down here?

"Is your back okay?" Wanda wondered, clearly worried about me.

"It's fine," I assured her but as I climbed to the front and stretched, my back made all kinds of noises and Wanda did not look happy. "I'm fine. That's just how a back sounds like after being cramped in the floor of a car for thirty minutes."

She didn't look assured, so I grabbed her hand and placed it to my mouth, planting a soft kiss there. She relaxed a little bit and I grabbed the bag from the floor.

"How did it go?"

"As usual, no reasons to worry," she promised with a smile and I heard the truth in her voice. I looked through the bag and saw the usual labels. No Pain, Heal, Cool. I noticed a new jar then, labeled No Pregnancy.

"What's this?" I asked, knowing what it was. It was ridiculously easy to understand the labels on the jars, so I knew that this was probably the new kind of contraceptive. But I didn't know how it worked.

"Women are supposed to take one each day of their period to not get pregnant."

"If they came up with this, why are there still condoms?"

"The Souls never did figure out a way to stop such diseases as HIV and AIDS, and they thought that condoms were a smart way of holding them at bay. One thing the humans came up with that they were impressed by."

"At least we were good at something," I said sarcastically, but Wanda took it the wrong way.

"You know that's not what I meant."

"I know," I told her and grabbed her hand. "So how many of these did you take?"

"I just managed to get my hands on two jars. So we can keep one, and I'll give one to Mel. They should be good for a few months. The rest can..."

"Fight over the condoms," I joked and she chuckled. She knew what I meant.

When we reached the hiding place for the jeep, the sun was still high in the sky and we decided that we would wait with going back until it was getting dark. It was too hot to walk all the way through the desert when the sun was so high. So we might as well wait. We would be back long before bed time anyway.

When I didn't find anything good on the radio, I searched through the car and found some old CD's. Looking at the cases, I had a feeling Wanda wouldn't like the hard sound of AC/DC. They were never one of my favorites, but I missed this kind of music. Everything was so calm, so romantic these days. Always happy. I missed how emotional a song could be. How hard it could be. And even though AC/DC weren't one of my favorites, I had always preferred the old classics.

I found another CD then, and figured that Nickelback was at least a little better. Not that they were any good, but it was better than how they sounded now.

And they had a few songs that Wanda probably wouldn't hate.

I wasn't wrong. She listened closely to one of them, and that got me listening to. It was about moving on, about standing together. About how we were always stronger together. I figured that the song was written about the old wars, and not the kind we had now. How us humans were almost extinct. But it still fitted our situation. Us humans, we had to stand together. There was no way to survive otherwise. None of us would have survived without Jeb. He brought us together. But Wanda saved us in a lot of ways too. She gave us what Jeb never could. Hope. Hope that someday this might all be over.

"What are you thinking about?" Wanda asked, scooping closer to me. I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her closer, her body fitting perfect next to me.

"About the song. How it was written about the wars we used to have, but it fits us perfectly now. How we can't live without standing together. How Jeb brought us together. How you gave us hope. How much I love you because of that."

I leaned down to press a kiss against her lips, and she kissed me back. But I didn't let go, and neither did she. It started out slow, gentle, but it grew into something more. Something more passionate, something stronger, more urgent. As my lips searched her skin, she let out a quiet moan and I answered it with one of my own. In a swift movement I had her moved into my lap, her legs straddling me, her fingers gripping my hair as my hands ran over her sides. Grabbing the edge of her shirt, it was tossed somewhere in the car within a matter of seconds. As her tongue moved around with mine, my hands pressing her body closer to mine, I rolled my hips under her and she could feel my already growing member. It was ridiculous how easily she did this to me, now when I didn't hold back any more. And she didn't either. This time her moan was louder, but not much. We both knew where this would lead, and we both knew that we were all alone. No one was close enough to hear us. But I had never been one to make much noise, and I figured that Wanda wasn't either. But it was good. The quiet noises she did make was sexy enough as they were. They could drive me crazy.

My hands were fumbling with her jean shorts, trying to unbuckle them as our breathings were speeding, becoming louder and louder. We were panting already.

"We don't have any..." she swallowed as I took a nibble at the side of her throat, and she failed to finish her sentence.

"We don't need that anymore," I reminded her and she nodded as she swallowed again. I was confident that the souls contraceptive were a lot safer than the human ones anyway. You could get pregnant, despite the use of a condom. I had a feeling the Souls had found something that worked to a hundred percent.

As I tried to get her shorts off of her, she tried to help but it only ended in her crashing her head into the car roof. She laughed as she held her hand against her head, and I chuckled with her.

"I'm sorry, this isn't the perfect..." I started but she shook her head.

"Just kiss me," she smiled and I chuckled again as I did just that. When she moved this time as my hands tried to get rid of the fabric she was wearing, she managed to do so without banging her head, and she smiled into my kisses. It wasn't as much trouble getting my jeans off, as we only had to pull them down and not get them off completely.

My hands landed on her hips, her mouth locked to mine, as she lowered herself onto me. She was still tight, but now _as_ tight, and I knew that she didn't feel any pain any more. It was just that first time. Our second and third time proved her assuring words true.

I was perfectly content with having her lead the way, decide the pace and the pressure. Her finger intertwined with my hair as I sucked on her lips, and our hips moved together in a steady pace. But when I felt her slow down just a little bit, I knew that her tiny body was getting tired and I used my hand on her hips to push her down toward me. From then on, I lead the way, Wanda's moans leaving her lips more and more as I thrust into her. Our movements got our closer and closer to climaxing, and eventually I couldn't hold my own moans inside.

I held myself back, not wanting to release before she reached her orgasm, and after a few more thrusts from me and a few moans from both of us, we rode the wave of our orgasms together.

Wanda chuckled softly as her lips left mine, her forehead resting against mine.

"What?" I asked, chuckling with her when I brushed her hair from her face.

"I just..." she started, trying to figure out what to say while finding her even breaths again. "I love you."

I laughed, knowing she was supposed to say something else, but she probably didn't know how. So she settled with telling me that she loved me.

"I love you too, you know."

I felt her press her lips against mine before she climbed off me and started to get dressed. I pulled my underwear and jeans back on, buckling my pants as I watched her look for her shirt. I knew exactly where she was, but she didn't find it.

"Have you seen my shirt?" she asked, and I grinned.

"Maybe," I mused and she looked at me. "But you look perfectly good the way you are."

My eyes lingered on her chest, seeing the way her bra cupped her breast. I wanted it gone though, and my hand quickly moved to unclasp it.

"Ian," she told me, clasping it again. "It's getting dark and we should be heading back."

I was about to protest when I saw lights behind us, noticing the van. So they were back already.

Reaching behind me, I took Wanda's shirt and handed it to her as I climbed out of the car seeing Kyle do the same.

"What are you doing back already?" I asked and he turned around, noticing me.

"We've been gone for a week, bro. We got what we needed. What the hell are you doing out here?"

"Medications," I heard Wanda's voice and I saw her with the bag. She tossed it to Kyle, who tossed it to me after giving it a quick look. Then he looked at Wanda's tousled hair and my wrinkled shirt.

"Uh-uh, if you say so," he rolled his eyes and I knew that he knew what we had been doing. "Just don't tell Jared what you did in his Jeep."

I grabbed Wanda's hand in mine as we started to move and Kyle walked right next to me.

"So what's been going on in the caves?"

Wanda looked at me and she saw how much I wanted to tell him about Jodi. But I had to keep it quiet. It was better to say something when we were alone.

"What happened to the Seeker?"

"There's no Seeker to worry about," was all I said, knowing it gave nothing away. "Now we have Lacey. And you're gonna hate her."

"Can't be worse than the Seeker."

"Trust me, it can," I told my brother and he looked at me. He shook his head with a worried look, and I nodded. Yeah, it was bad.

"So Wanda, anything else?"

"Ian hates not working," she said casually, and it sounded true because it was. Doc would give me permission starting next week though. "How was the raid?"

I quietly thanked her for bringing the subject to Kyle and the rest, instead of us, and Kyle started talking. There had been no problems. Burns definitely knew what he was doing. But he never mentioned anything about medications or stuff like that, so Kyle, Wes, or Jared never mentioned it either. There had been problems with the condoms though. Burns wasn't able to get enough, apparently.

"So Wanda's going to have to go on a raid soon, again," he finished and Wanda and I shared a glance.

"Would it be enough if I say that I fixed something else, enough for me and Ian, and Jared and Mel?" Wanda asked and Kyle looked at her with curiosity. I looked through the bag and found the jar of No Pregnancty and tossed it to my brother.

"So, how does it work?" he asked, and Wanda explained it to him.

"I guess it depends on how much sex people are planning on having, but it should definitely help with the condom problem. Oh, by the way bro. You know what I said the day we left for the raid?" I nodded and he continued. "It's not gonna happen."

"Why?" I wanted to know, already knowing why. It would feel wrong. Even for Kyle.

He looked around me, staring at Wanda, and then he shook his head.

"Did you tell her?"

"Tell me what?" she asked, and he heart the truth in her voice. I told him I wouldn't, and so I didn't. I could keep a promise. Even if that promise meant not talking to Wanda about something.

"I actually thought that you'd tell her," he said under his breath, and I shook my head in amusement. "And it would feel wrong, I guess. Doing _that_."

"I know," I told him, laughing.

"Then why did you ask?"

"I just wanted to hear you say it."

For a second he looked like he wanted to kick my ass, but then he started laughing and let it go. By the time he had decided, we were by the entrance of the caves. Wanda took the two jars, placing one in her pocket and she looked up at me.

"I'll give this to Mel," she said. _Then I'll find Jodi. _"See you in the hospital?"

"Yeah," I nodded, placing a kiss on her lips for good luck. I had no idea of what Jodi felt about Wanda. And I knew how badly Wanda wanted her to like her.

"I gotta talk to you about something," I told my brother, motioning toward the bag. Wanting him to come with me down to the hospital. He thought about it for a second before he finally nodded and walked with me.

I had no idea what to say, so eventually Kyle spoke.

"You wanted to talk about something?" he asked and I looked at him. He looked impatient.

"Sunny's not here anymore. Well, she's here, but she's in a cryotank."

"What, why?" he demanded, clearly not pleased about it.

"Jodi's here though."

I watched him closely, so I saw every expression run through his face. Disbelief, shock, confusion, fear of believing. Fear of being happy again.

"What?" he finally asked, his eyes wide. "She's here? She's actually... here? Awake? Talking, walking? She's _here_?" he was rambling, but with every word he spoke the feelings he had disappeared and they were all replaced by down right bliss. He had a huge grin on his face, and as I nodded he started to move faster.

"Where is she?"

"Kyle," I stopped him and he looked at me. I sounded too serious. "She thought you didn't love her anymore. I told her that of course you did, but I don't know how convinced she was. You have to make sure that she knows how much you love her. Don't make her doubt it, or I will kick your ass, I swear to God."

"I'll make sure," he promised, looking worried. It was the last thing he wanted, for Jodi to not know about his feelings. "What else did you tell her?"

"Not about our conversation," I assured him. "Not about you trying to kill Wanda, and Mel. I figured that be up to you."

"Thanks," he nodded, his legs moving faster and faster as we moved to the hospital. "She's in the hospital, right?"

"Wanda's supposed to bring her there, but I'm not sure how well that will go."

"Why not?"

"Well, let's just say that she wasn't comfortable with the idea of me and Wanda. But Mel talked to her, so she hopefully made her see reason."

"Sunny then? What's gonna happen to her?"

"We'll get her a new body, or we'll send her off. Your decision."

"New body," he said without a doubt, and I nodded. I had figured so much. I did know my brother after all.

We reached the hospital then, and I noticed that neither Wanda or Jodi where there. Just Doc. Kyle looked anxious and I laughed at him, knowing that he must be nervous.

"We got some meds, Doc," I said and reached out the bag to him.

"Good," he said, watching Kyle with an amused smile. Kyle kept staring against the entrance, waiting for some kind of sign that Jodi was near. He hadn't even noticed the blinking cryotank just a few feet away from him. As Doc emptied the bag, he tossed a bottle of No Pain to me.

"I'm not in pain anymore," I told him. He knew that.

"We'll see when you start working again," he muttered under his breath, hearing how annoyed he was that he didn't know at what rate I was getting better.

"How did it go?" he asked, and I told him it went well. I didn't have the time to say more before I heard footsteps and I turned around. Wanda held a distance between her and Jodi, and they weren't talking. So Jodi hadn't accepted Wanda just yet then. Or maybe she was just nervous about seeing Kyle. I wasn't sure.

Kyle moved before I had the chance to even think about it, and a few seconds later his body slammed into Jodi's.

I found myself laughing as Wanda walked up to me. I did tell my brother to make sure that Jodi knew that he loved her, and he way he was kissing her... She knew. Definitely. There was probably no doubt in her mind any more.

At that moment, I felt better than I ever had. I thought I couldn't feel better than I did when I was around Wanda, but I was wrong. Because Kyle was a big reason behind my feelings as well, and now, seeing him with Jodi – he looked like he was where he belonged – I felt complete.

I had my Wanda, and Kyle had his Jodi back. I was happy. Kyle was happy. Everyone was happy.

I felt Wanda's lips on mine, and from a distant I heard Kyle's voice when his lips broke apart from Jodi's.

"Hi."


End file.
